Vessel mooring and positioning apparatus.



J. A ANDERSON, VESSEL MOORING AND POSITIONING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. I916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES A. ANDERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VESSEL MOORING AND POSITIONING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 11, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janus A. Anonasox, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of h lanhattan, city, county, and State of New York,.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vessel Mooring and Positioning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for mooring vessels, and is particularly applicable for mooring barges, such as garbage scows, coal barges and similar vessels.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for positioning vessels with respect to unloading mechanism located on the dock, and tor maintaining the vessel close to the side of the dock, and an important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means by which the shifting cable is relieved of the strain of holding the vessel against the edge of the dock.

A further object of my invention is the provision of simple and readily controlled apparatus for positioning vessels, adapted to be operated from a common source of power in connection with unloading mechanism.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing the vessel shifting apparatus;

Fig. 2 a diagrammatic view showing the general arrangement and mode of operation of the apparatus in connection with a garbage disposal plant;

Fig. 3 a side elevation partly in section, on the line a-a of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 a horizontal section on the line w-m of Fig. 3.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the dock on which is located unloading mechanism 2, shown as a swinging boom type of excavator, and 3 designates the hopper of a garbage disposal apparatus, to which the unloading mechanism conveys the contents of the barge 4.

Mounted on the dock, preferably at a point between the unloading mechanism and the hopper, is a winding engine 5, of any suitable construction, preferably adapted to be controlled from the operating plant of the unloading mechanism. In Fig. 1, I have shown the engine 5 as a steam engine, but it is obvious that any form of motor may be employed which is adapted to impart rotation in either direction to the winding drum 6, Passing over the drum 6 is an end:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Serial No. 130,747.

less cable '7 which passes around a series of horizontally disposed sheaves 8 and91nounted on suitable supports on the dock.

Mounted adjacent to and parallel with the edge of the dock, in a series of brackets 10, is a metal pipe or tube 11 which extends sul'istantially the entire distance between the two sheaves 9, and through which the portion of the cable between the sheaves 9 nearest to the edge of the dock passes. The pipe or tube 11 is slotted throughout, or substantially throughout its length at the side adjacent to the edge of the dock, as shown at 12, and this tube serves as-a track or guideway for a pair of shiftable mooring bitts 13 attached to the cable 7 and provided with integral outwardly extending webs 14 which project outwardly through the slot 12 in the guideway 11. A short mooring cable 15 is attached to each of the webs 14C of the mooring bitts 13, and the free ends of the mooring cables are adapted for connection to the usual mooring bitts 16 located adjacent to the bow and stern of the vessel.

The guideway supporting brackets 10 have a tubular bearing 10 through which the slotted guide tube passes, and the supporting brackets are provided with slots 17 coincident with the slots 12 in the guideway.

While I have shown the guideway in the form of a slotted tube, and the shiftable mooring bitts as cylinders, slidably mounted in the tube, it will be obvious that the form of the guideway and the shiftable bitts may be greatly varied without departing from the scope of my invention.

In the operation of the apparatus the free ends of the cables 15 are attached to the mooring bitts 16 of the barge, and the engine 5 is started to impart rotation to the drum 6 and operate cable 7 to draw the barge along the edge of the dock until the bow of the barge is beneath the outer end of the excavator boom. The engine 5 is then stopped and the excavator operated until it has transferred all of the cargo within its zone of operation to the hopper 8. Then the engine 5 is again started and the barge moved forward to bring the succeeding section thereof beneath the boom, and the operation is repeatecl until the cargo has been unloaded.

It will be observed that by the arrangement above described, I have provided a simple, easily controlled and efficient apparatus for rapidly positioning vessels alongside of docks, and for shifting railway cars and other vehicles, the apparatus being especially adapted for use in connection with loading and unloading mechanism.

An important feature of my invention is the provision of shiftable mooring bitts slidably mounted in a rigid guideway so as to be always positively maintained a fixed distance from the edge of the dock. This arrangement prevents the vessel from being drawn outwardiy from the edge of the dock by the current or tide or from being driven h out into the stream by the wind.

' vice, the combination with a dock and a vessel to be positioned, of a plurality of mooring bitts movably mounted on the dock, connections between said bitts and mooring bitts on the vessel, and means for shifting the i bitts along the dock parallel with the edge thereof.

2. In a vessel mooring and positioning device, the combination with a dock and a vessel to be positioned, of a guldeway mounted on the dock, a plurality of mooring bitts slidably mounted in said guideway, connections between said slidable bitts and mooring bitts on the vessel, and means for shifting the sliding bitts along the guideway.

3. In a vessel mooring and positioning device, the combination with a dock and a vessel'to be positioned, of an endless traveling cable supported on sheaves on the dock, a plurality of mooring bitts carried by said cable, connections between said bitts and mooring bitts on the vessel, and means for operating the endless cable to shift the bitts carried thereby back and forth along the dock.

4. In a vessel mooring and positioning device, the combination with a dock and a vessel to be positioned, of a guideway mounted along the edge of the dock, a plurality of mooring bitts slidably mounted in said guideway, connections between said bitts and mooring bitts on the vessel, an endless cable supported on sheaves on the dock, connections between said cable and the sliding bitts, and means for operating the cable to shift the sliding bitts along the guideway.

5. In a vessel mooring and positioning device, the combination with a dock and a vessel to be positioned, of a tubular guideway mounted on the dock parallel with the edge thereof, the wall of the guideway facing the edge of the dock being slotted substantially throughout its length, an endless cable pass ing around sheaves mounted on the (lock and through the tubular guideway, a plurality of mooring bitts attached to said cable and slidably confined within the tubular guideway, connections between said bitts and mooring bitts on the vessel extending through the slot in the guideway and means for operating the cable to shift the slidable bitts back and forth along the guideway.

6. In a vehicle shifting apparatus, the combination of a rigidly supported guideway, a plurality of anchoring blocks slidably mounted in said guideway, and means for shifting the anchoring blocks along the guideway. 1

7. In a vehicle shifting apparatus, the combination of a rigidly mounted guideway, a plurality of anchoring blocks slidably mounted in said guideway, an endless traveling cable, sheaves for supporting said cable, connections between the cable and anchoring blocks, and means for operating the cable to shift the anchoring blocks along the guideway.

8. In a vehicle shifting apparatus the combination of a rigidly supported tubular guideway having a longitudinally extending slot substantially throughout its length, an endless cable one portion of which passes through said guideway, sheaves for supporting said cable, a shiftable anchoring block slidably mounted in said guideway and connected to the cable, means for connecting a vehicle to be shifted to said anchoring block extending through the slot in the guideway, and means for operating the cable to shift the anchoring block.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JAMES A. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

